To fulfill India’s FDI investment norms sportswear brand ASICS is gradually
increasing the share of local products for single brand retail and
launching its own stores in the country. It is also looking for better
brand governance. ASICS India MD Rajat Khurana says when the brand touches
30 per cent of manufacturing from India, it will open own stores. The
company plans to operate a mix of partner and own retail stores in the
country.

Khurana points out local apparel production began in 2017. Thereafter, it
started making footwear in India. These were entry point products and the
company is slowly scaling up. ASICS, founded in 1949, is known for its
high-performance sports shoes and is popular among professional and
marathon runners. It sells footwear and apparels through the franchise
model and plans to open 13-14 new stores in the current year.

At present, ASICS India gets about 75 per cent of its sales from mono brand
stores, multi brand retail outlets and distributer driven business
channels. According Khurana the company aims to triple its revenue by 2020.
Currently, ASICS India which is a step down subsidiary of ASICS Japan,
sources about 10-12 per cent of its total products from India. At present
it has 27 mono brand stores in India.